Centrifugal extractor.



G. W. LEWIS.

CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11. 1917.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

GEORGE W. LEWIS, OF GRINNELL, IOWA.

CENTRIFUGAL EXTRACTOB.

Specification 01' Letters Patent. I

Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

Application filed June 11, 1917. Serial No. 174,133.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. LEWIS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Grinnell, in the county of Poweshiek and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Centrifugal Extractor, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a centrifugal extractor for removing the water from clothes or other material.

More particularly it is my object to provide a centrifugal extractor 'so constructed and arranged as to afford an accurate indicating means for showing when the device is properly balanced.

Still a further object is to provide such an extractor having means whereby the device may be readily and easily balanced after the clothes or other material have been placed therein. 7

Still a further object is to provide such an extractor having a clothesreceptacle capable of being balanced, and after having been balanced, of being thrown into gear in such a way as to be held in its balanced position.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a centrifugal wringer embodying my invention, the external or outer casing being partly broken away, and

Fig. 2 shows a transverse, vertical, sectional view through the upper portion of the wringer mechanism, the supporting frame and part of the gear mechanism being shown in end elevation.

In the accompanying drawings I have used the reference numeral 10 to indicate generally the upright supporting members of the frame for supporting my improved wringer. The members 10 are connected by transverse frame members 11 and by longitudinally arranged frame members 12.

Supported upon the frame hereinbefore described, at one end thereof, is an outer receptacle 13 preferably so arranged that its greater portion rests above the frame, but so that a portion thereof projects beyond the frame horizontally, as shown in Fig. 1.

The bottom of the receptacle 13 in the portion thereof projecting beyond the frame, is provided with a discharge opening 14, which may be closed by any suitable closure device 15.

The receptacle 13 is provided with a cover 16 hinged to the body of the receptacle at 17. At their opposite sides the receptacle 13 and cover 16 are provided with coacting lock devices 18 and 19. The bottom of the receptacle 13 is provided with a central opening 20 surrounded by an upward cylindrical extension 21, clearly shown in Fig. 2.

Rotatably mounted on the frame of the machine is an upright hollow sleeve 22, the upper end of which extends upwardly through the opening 20 and the cylindrical extension 21 to position above the upper end of the member 21. Mounted on the sleeve 22 is a pulley or other gearing device 23, adapted to be operatively connected with a second gearing device such as the pulley 24, in any suitable way, such for instance, as by the belt 25. The upper end of the sleeve 22 is screw-threaded to receive a cone-shaped cap 26 forming a gearing or clutch member.

Mounted in the sleeve 22 is a vertical, slidable shaft 27 which extends above and below the sleeve 22. On the lower end of the shaft 27 is fixed a grooved collar 28. Between the collar 28 and the lower end of the sleeve 22 a coil spring 29 is mounted on the shaft 27.

Extending transversely across the lower part of the frame and spaced from the lower end of the shaft 27, is a rock shaft 30. The rock shaft 30 has a pair of spaced arms 31 fixed thereto, and extending toward the opposite sides of the grooved collar 28. The

arms 31 have pins 32 extending into the groove of the collar 28.

Fixed on one end of the shaft 36 is a lever 33 extending alongside the frame. The outer end of the lever 33 extends through a loop or guide keeper 34 mounted on the frame, having in its lower portio a notch 35. The parts are so arranged that when spring 29 yieldingly tends to hold the shaft the / the /outer end of the lever 33 is ldwered, it

27 in its lower position, and it will be seen that when the lever 33 is held in the notch 35 it will hold the shaft 27 in raised position against the tension of the spring 29.

Fixed on the shaft 27 near the upper end thereof,-spaeed above the member 26, is a collar 36. The upper end of the shaft 27 is hardened and pointed at 38.

The shaft 27' supports a container 39 having in its walls perforations 40 in the manner hereinafter described. The container 39 has in its bottom a central opening, and its bottom around said opening is inclined upwardly and inwardly, forming a hollow truncated cone at 41. Secured to the under side of the member 41 is a hollow gearing or clutch member 42, substantially coneshaped, having at its upper end a cylindrical extension 43 externally screw-threaded. An internally screw-threaded sleeve 44 is screwed onto the extension 43, as shown in Fig. 2. Screwed into the upper interior of the sleeve 44 is a supporting block 45, the lower surface of which is substantially coneshaped in outline, supported at its upper central point on the pointed end 38 of the shaft 27. The upper surface of the block 45 is hollowed out slightly, being lowest at its central portion, and resting upon such upper surface is a round ball or marble or the like 46.

Resting upon the top of the sleeve 44 is a sight glass 47 held in place by a suitable cover cap 48. On the outside of the side wall of the container 39 are vertically spaced, horizontal, annular guide members 50. Received between the upper and lower guide members is a pair of weights 51, provided with handles 52 for convenience in moving said weights, and adapted to he slid in different positions with relation to the circumference of the container 39.

In the practical use of my improved centrifugal wringer, the cover 16 is raised and the clothes to be wrung out are placed in the container 39. One of the important problems involved in the use of centrifugal wringers arises from the necessity of carefully balancing the. rapidly moving container. If such container is not properly balanced, it will tend to rock up and down when rotated rapidly for throwing or wringing out the water by centrifugal force, and will rack and strain the machinery. I have, therefore, provided the means herein described for balancing the container and ascertaining when it is properly balanced. The clothes are distributed as carefully as may be in the container, and thereafter the operator looks through the sight glass 47. If the ball or marble 46 is in the center of the block 45, the container is balanced. If not, the container requires balancing, and this may be done partially by readjustment of the clothes and may be accurately completed by adjusting the weights 51 circumferentially of the container.

After the container has been properly balanced, the outer end of the lever 33 is removed from the notch 35, whereupon the Weight of the container will cause it to drop downwardly until the clutch or gear member 42 rests upon the clutch or gear member 26.

The use of the gear members 42 and 26 of the kind herein shown, has several advantages in connection with a wringer of this type. Such a clutch affords proper slippage when necessary, and also tends to hold the container properly balanced to hold it 4 against tilting during the operation of the wringer.

The use of the inclined central portion of the bottom of the container also tends to throw the weight of the clothes toward the outside for holding the bulk of the clothes as near as may be to the weights 21, thereby assisting in properly locating the center of gravity of the container and its contents when the container has been balanced.

After the container has been lowered to its position in gear with the operative mechanism, the cover 16 is closed'and the pulley 24 is operated in any suitable manner for imparting rotation thereto and to the parts connected therewith, for rapidly rotating the container 39 and thereby throwing out the water fromthe contents thereof through the perforations 40. The water passes into the outer container 13 and from thence may be discharged through the opening 14 when desired.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my improved centrifugal wringer without departing from the essential spirit and principles of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by the claims of the patent to be issued on this application, any modifications in structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may reasonably be included within the scope of such claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A centrifugal extractor comprising a support, an outer receptacle thereon, a container having perforated walls, means for supporting and balancing said container, driving mechanism, and means for moving said container into gear after it has been balanced.

2. A centrifugal extractor comprising a support, an outer receptacle thereon, a container having perforated walls, means for supporting and balancing said container,

driving mechanism, and means for lowering said container and thereby automatically supporting it and moving it into gear.

3. In a device of the class described, a support, an outer receptacle thereon, a container within said receptacle, having perfo- -member above said cone-shaped rated walls, means for supporting said container, said means including a shaft extending upwardly into the upper central portion of said container, a supporting member on said container abov said shaft,resting upon the upper end thereof, means for indicating when said container is balanced, means for adjusting the balance of said container, operating mechanism, and means for raising and lowering said shaft, and means whereby the lowering of said shaft lowers said receptacle into gear with said operating mechanism.

4. In a centrifugal extractor, a support, an outer receptacle, a container therein, having perforated walls, said container having in the central portion of its bottom an upwardly extending cone-shaped portion forming a clutch member, a cylindrical member above said cone-shaped member, a sleeve mounted on said support, coacting cone-shaped clutch members thereon, a shaft slidably mounted in said sleeve, a supporting member in said cylindrical member, having its lower surface concave and supported on said shaft, the upper end of said shaft being pointed, means for indicating when said container is balanced, means for imparting rotation to said sleeve, and means for raising and lowering said shaft for moving said clutch members into and out of engagement.

5. In a centrifugal extractor, a support, an outer receptacle, a container therein, having perforated walls, said container having in the central portion of its bottom an upwardly extending cone-shaped port-ion forming a clutch .member, a cylindrical member, a sleeve mounted on said support, coacting cone-shaped clutch members thereon, a shaft slidably mounted in said sleeve, a supporting member in said cylindrical member, having its lower surface concave and supported on said shaft, the upper end of said shaft being pointed, means for indicating when said container is balanced, means for imparting rotation to said sleeve, means for raising and lowering said shaft for moving said clutch members into and out of engagement, and adjustable weights on said container.

6. In a centrifugal extractor, an outer receptacle, having perforated walls, said container having in the central portion'of its bottom an upwardly extending cone-shaped portion forming aclutch member, a cylindrical member above said cone-shaped member, a sleeve mounted on said support, coacting cone-shaped clutch members thereon, a shaft slidably mounted in said sleeve, a

a support,

a container therein,

supporting member in said cylindrical member, having its lower surface concave and supported on said shaft, the upper end of said shaft being pointed, a collar on said shaft within said cylindrical member, means for indicating when said container is balanced, means for imparting rotation to said sleeve, and means for raising and lowering said shaft for moving said clutch members into and out of engagement.

7. In a centrifugal extractor, a support, an outer receptacle, a container therein, having perforated walls, said container having in the central portion of its bottom an upwardly extending cone-shaped portion forming a clutch member, a cylindrical member above said cone-shaped member, a sleeve mounted on said support, coacting coneshaped clutch members thereon, a shaft slidably mounted in said sleeve, a supporting member in said cylindrical member, having its lower surface concave and supported on said shaft being pointed, means for indicating when said container is balanced, the upper surface of said supporting member above the shaft being slightly concave, said last means comprising a last named surface, and a sight glass spaced above said ball, means for imparting rotation to said sleeve, and means for raising and lowering said shaft for moving said clutch members into and out of engagement.

8. In a centrifugal extractor, a clothes container, a central support upon which the clothes container is tiltably mounted, and an adjustable weight device on the clothes container for compensating for the unequal distribution of clothes within the container and for bringing the container to a level or balanced position.

9. In a centrifugal extractor, a clothes container, a central support upon which the clothes container is tiltably mounted, an adjustable weight device on the clothes container for compensating for the unequal distribution of clothes within the container and for bringing the container to a level or balanced position, and a level device applied to the container for visibly indicating its balanced or unbalanced position.

10. In a centrifugal extractor, a container, means for supporting said container at its upper central. portion for permitting the tilting of said container, and a level device carried by said container for accurately indicating when the container is balanced in horizontal position.

Des Moines, Iowa, April 25, 1917.

GEORGE W. LEWIS.

ball resting on said 

